LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — A former Larimer County chief deputy district attorney pleaded guilty in September to third-degree sexual assault as part of a plea deal in connection with a 1999 incident involving an intern.
Daniel Quinn was initially charged with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust.
The survivor, who spoke with Denver7 anonymously, was in high school when she began her internship with the 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office as a file clerk. She told Denver7 she remembers the first time she came into contact with Quinn.
"He was in court, and he sent a message to the office that he needed a file brought to him, and I was asked to take the file to him. I dropped the file off, and I thought nothing of it," she explained. “Sometime after that, he thanked me for doing that, which was a little odd. I didn't get a lot of thanks for my job, and that's the first contact that I recall."
The survivor said she began receiving a lot of attention from Quinn after that.
“He would take me out to lunch. He asked me to play on his daughter's soccer team that he was coaching. He bought me gifts. We'd go on rides in the mountains. He helped me with an essay in school," she recalled. “My 16-year-old and 17-year-old selves were thrilled, and because of the power differential, I didn't really understand how inappropriate it was.”
Power and control are themes commonly seen in similar cases.
“He groomed me by using his power and control into a relationship that I legally could not consent to, and I was working in an office that should have been the safest office in Colorado," she said.
According to Quinn's arrest affidavit, Poudre School District became aware of "inappropriate emails" between Quinn and the high school student. The school district then alerted the district attorney's office.
The survivor was told she could no longer work at the DA's office, while Quinn was allowed to resign.
"It was swept under the rug," the survivor said. “It took years for me to realize it, and a really good therapist to realize that what happened was wrong because it didn't feel wrong. Nobody got in trouble but me, and so it's confusing.”
Through counseling, the survivor said she worked through layers of confusion, guilt and frustration. She decided to file a civil claim against the county decades after the abuse occurred.
The survivor was able to file the lawsuit under the Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act, which was signed into Colorado law in 2021 and took effect the following year. The law opened a three-year window during which victims of sexual abuse could file civil lawsuits for alleged misconduct ranging from 1960 to 2022.
In 2023, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled the Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act was unconstitutional, determining it violates the state's ban on retrospective legislation.
“That act was passed several months before I utilized it to make a claim against the county, and shortly after I settled my claim with the county, the act was deemed unconstitutional by the Colorado Supreme Court," said the survivor. "It's unfortunate because it enables people like me and people in my age range to have a voice in a time where it's more acceptable to come out against your abuser.”
The civil case was settled for $300,000, according to the survivor. In a statement, the Larimer County Board of Commissioners said its "only involvement in the settlement was fiscal."
Full statement:
"The Larimer County Board of Commissioners agreed to provide financial support for a settlement following the recommendation of the current District Attorney. The Board's only involvement in the settlement was fiscal; the current DA made decisions about the settlement's details. The Board remains committed to respecting the victim's privacy and well-being."
Current 8th Judicial District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin said it was gut-wrenching to see the details contained in the civil case. It was the first time he had heard of it.
“Everyone else that works in this office has dedicated our professional lives to supporting victims and seeking justice, and we know that [sexual assault is] a crime that will stick with someone for the rest of their lives," said McLaughlin. “The trauma is not confined to that moment in time 25 years ago. I can't speak for the victim, of course, but I would imagine that reverberates quite heavily because I know it does with most victims we work with.”
McLaughlin wanted to get to the bottom of the case and reported it to Fort Collins Police Services.
“As that civil case unfolded, we realized that there were certainly credible allegations that needed further investigation," said McLaughlin. “I'm certainly incredibly saddened and angry that those at the time did not do all they could or should have done.”
Following the investigation by Fort Collins police, it was determined criminal charges would be filed, despite the statute of limitations. Quinn was initially charged with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust.
“There was a specific sentence modifier in one of these sexual assault allegations called position of trust. What that means is essentially the perpetrator of the crime used some specific power over the victim to engage that criminal conduct, and when there is a position of trust modifier on that crime, that exempted us from the statute of limitations and allowed us to proceed," McLaughlin explained.
Due to Quinn's connections with the 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office, prosecutors from the neighboring DA's office in Weld County were given the case.
Quinn agreed to plead guilty to third-degree sexual assault as part of a plea deal. Under the deal, his sentence will be deferred, meaning if he completes four years of stipulated conditions, his conviction will be dismissed with prejudice. The stipulations are similar to ones seen under sex offender-supervised probation.
If Quinn violates the conditions of his deferred sentence, he will be found guilty of third-degree sexual assault and could be sentenced to six to 24 months in jail.
The survivor told Denver7 she has mixed emotions about the plea deal.
“I knew that going through a trial would be extremely difficult on me emotionally, and there's a risk that a jury would not find that he was guilty. That's always a risk with a trial," she said. "I was okay with a plea deal for that reason, knowing the outcome, but I think that the plea deal that was entered is woefully inadequate. It's another slap on the wrist... There's no jail, there's no felony conviction. But ultimately there's no way that any plea deal or sentence would bring justice, and that's the worst part about our system.”
The survivor said justice is not the right word for this case. Instead, she feels accountability is a more fitting description of what has happened.
"The thought that I would just automatically get closure by going through this process — that's not how it works," she said. “I just hope that other adult survivors of child sexual abuse realize they're not alone. There's a whole lot of us, unfortunately.”
Denver7 reached out to the attorney representing Quinn, who said she cannot comment on a pending case. He will officially be sentenced during a hearing on Nov. 18.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.